Say “Cheers” to Dry January with Alcohol-Free Wines

Are you going dry this January?

Ditching alcohol in the first month of the new year has become an annual tradition for many. But you can still raise a glass this month thanks to alcohol-free wines from Leitz.

The German producer has found a way to craft a premium alternative without compromising quality and with the flavour profile as close to the regular wine as possible.

Their alcohol-free Eins-Zwei-Zero Riesling & Eins-Zwei-Zero Rosé are made the same way as regular wine. The grapes are grown, pressed and fermented into wine, but then dealcoholized using a process called vacuum distillation – where the boiling point of alcohol can be reduced quite a bit.

“This process helps to preserve the wine’s aromas and avoid jammy or cooked fruit aromas that can be typical in lots of other alcohol-free wines,” says Tobias Fiebrandt, Leitz brand ambassador. “We like to offer our customers a real alternative, a high-quality wine that if served in a blind tasting will trick a good number of people.”

These zero alcohol wines are now being carried as an alternative by a number of Niagara wineries – including Vineland Estates.

“There really is a huge demand for low alcohol or no alcohol wines,” said winemaker Brian Schmidt. “Our 2019 Vineland Estates Elevation Riesling is 7.5% alcohol, and it is our fastest growing Riesling in the LCBO. I attribute that to the lower alcohol, there clearly is a desire for people to enjoy low alcohol wines or even no alcohol wines.”